According to Jan Freitag, senior VP at Smith Travel Research (STR), we can expect to see a pick-up in the luxury hospitality sector, including hotel spas, in a matter of months.
STR has been tracking the state of US hotels’ revenue per available room (RevPAR) alongside the proportion of the population that’s been vaccinated. “It’s too early to make statements about more vaccinations and more people travelling because those who are already vaccinated – like the elderly or high-risk population – are less likely to be travelling,” Freitag tells Spa Business. “However, there will be a relationship here very soon, especially as you get into the second half of the year, because vaccinations will have rolled out and this will give people the confidence to travel.”
Freitag believes vaccinations will be crucial for spas’ recovery considering they’re high-contact environments. He also says that government approaches to lockdown and virus re-emergence will matter immensely to global hospitality recovery, as regions with stricter controls and more rapid responses have seen a much more promising return to business – for example, in the Asia Pacific region.
He says: “People have used the term ‘K-shaped recovery’ for the US, meaning people at the upper end of the consumer market have saved money over the last year, versus the downside of the K – those who’ve lost their jobs, are less financially stable and will be unlikely to travel.”
The recovery begins Freitag believes the upper end of the market will do well towards the end of Q2 and into Q3 2021. “Plus, once corporate demand returns in Q4 and into 2022, full-service hotels that traditionally have offered spas should see very healthy demand,” he adds.
Some enthusiastic onlookers have gone as far as saying we’re on the cusp of the second ‘roaring 20s’, with hopes the economy will boom in the wake of the pandemic, as consumers splurge money they’ve saved during lockdowns.
STR reported that as of 20 February 2021 US hotel occupancy had reached 48 per cent and was on an upward trajectory, compared to its lowest point in early April 2020 where occupancy hit 22 per cent (see Graph).
Freitag anticipates interest in hotel spas could be on the up because of the enhanced global focus on wellbeing. “It’s been a rough time and we know self-care needs to be top of the agenda,” he says, “this will provide a prime opportunity and drive demand for all spas, because they epitomise what self-care stands for.”
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2021 issue 1
Editor's letter: Healing the world
With the impact of COVID-19 affecting millions of people globally, spas have a special role to play in the recovery movement
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Healing heartache retreats at Chablé Mexico and Czech spas using mineral water to treat long COVID feature in our latest programming highlights
Programming: Kevin Kelly
Four Seasons’ Sensei retreat in Hawaii taps into wearable tech and biometric data
Programming: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental rolls out it Inner Strength Outer Strength mental wellness course to guests
Interview: Emlyn Brown
Accor’s global vice-president of wellbeing talks to Katie Barnes about business strategies following COVID
Everyone’s talking about: Local markets
How are spas adapting their business model to attract locals? And what happens when international tourists return? Spa Business magazine reports
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 20/21
Touch hunger, lung health, resilience and COVID cool spots all feature in future predictions from the Spa Business team
Sponsored: G.M. COLLIN: New partnerships
Skincare brand GM Collin is
re-energising its sales network and looking
for new distributors from across the globe
to drive its business network
Insight: Hindsight 2020
Mia Kyricos looks at the harsh lessons that spas can learn from the last year
Analysis: On your marks
Analyst Jan Freitag suggests a timescale for global hotel recovery and hotel spas
Research: Eyes on Ireland
An Irish Spa Association snapshot survey shows the impact of COVID on spas across country
Promotion: Artofcryo.com: Chill factor
Artofcryo.com provides evidence-based whole body cryotherapy solutions,
offering effective solutions for guests and an attractive ROI for investors
Fitness: Harley Pasternak
The celebrity trainer and nutritionist shares his vision of fitness and health in the age of coronavirus
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme: Optimal solution
Iyashi Dôme Japanese saunas offer a versatile treatment solution for spas searching for quality touchless treatments backed by science and Japanese technology
Finishing touch: Watch out
UK researchers launch a new study to explore how digital nature experiences can be good for us
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
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According to Jan Freitag, senior VP at Smith Travel Research (STR), we can expect to see a pick-up in the luxury hospitality sector, including hotel spas, in a matter of months.
STR has been tracking the state of US hotels’ revenue per available room (RevPAR) alongside the proportion of the population that’s been vaccinated. “It’s too early to make statements about more vaccinations and more people travelling because those who are already vaccinated – like the elderly or high-risk population – are less likely to be travelling,” Freitag tells Spa Business. “However, there will be a relationship here very soon, especially as you get into the second half of the year, because vaccinations will have rolled out and this will give people the confidence to travel.”
Freitag believes vaccinations will be crucial for spas’ recovery considering they’re high-contact environments. He also says that government approaches to lockdown and virus re-emergence will matter immensely to global hospitality recovery, as regions with stricter controls and more rapid responses have seen a much more promising return to business – for example, in the Asia Pacific region.
He says: “People have used the term ‘K-shaped recovery’ for the US, meaning people at the upper end of the consumer market have saved money over the last year, versus the downside of the K – those who’ve lost their jobs, are less financially stable and will be unlikely to travel.”
The recovery begins Freitag believes the upper end of the market will do well towards the end of Q2 and into Q3 2021. “Plus, once corporate demand returns in Q4 and into 2022, full-service hotels that traditionally have offered spas should see very healthy demand,” he adds.
Some enthusiastic onlookers have gone as far as saying we’re on the cusp of the second ‘roaring 20s’, with hopes the economy will boom in the wake of the pandemic, as consumers splurge money they’ve saved during lockdowns.
STR reported that as of 20 February 2021 US hotel occupancy had reached 48 per cent and was on an upward trajectory, compared to its lowest point in early April 2020 where occupancy hit 22 per cent (see Graph).
Freitag anticipates interest in hotel spas could be on the up because of the enhanced global focus on wellbeing. “It’s been a rough time and we know self-care needs to be top of the agenda,” he says, “this will provide a prime opportunity and drive demand for all spas, because they epitomise what self-care stands for.”
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2021 issue 1
Editor's letter: Healing the world
With the impact of COVID-19 affecting millions of people globally, spas have a special role to play in the recovery movement
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Healing heartache retreats at Chablé Mexico and Czech spas using mineral water to treat long COVID feature in our latest programming highlights
Programming: Kevin Kelly
Four Seasons’ Sensei retreat in Hawaii taps into wearable tech and biometric data
Programming: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental rolls out it Inner Strength Outer Strength mental wellness course to guests
Interview: Emlyn Brown
Accor’s global vice-president of wellbeing talks to Katie Barnes about business strategies following COVID
Everyone’s talking about: Local markets
How are spas adapting their business model to attract locals? And what happens when international tourists return? Spa Business magazine reports
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 20/21
Touch hunger, lung health, resilience and COVID cool spots all feature in future predictions from the Spa Business team
Sponsored: G.M. COLLIN: New partnerships
Skincare brand GM Collin is
re-energising its sales network and looking
for new distributors from across the globe
to drive its business network
Insight: Hindsight 2020
Mia Kyricos looks at the harsh lessons that spas can learn from the last year
Analysis: On your marks
Analyst Jan Freitag suggests a timescale for global hotel recovery and hotel spas
Research: Eyes on Ireland
An Irish Spa Association snapshot survey shows the impact of COVID on spas across country
Promotion: Artofcryo.com: Chill factor
Artofcryo.com provides evidence-based whole body cryotherapy solutions,
offering effective solutions for guests and an attractive ROI for investors
Fitness: Harley Pasternak
The celebrity trainer and nutritionist shares his vision of fitness and health in the age of coronavirus
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme: Optimal solution
Iyashi Dôme Japanese saunas offer a versatile treatment solution for spas searching for quality touchless treatments backed by science and Japanese technology
Finishing touch: Watch out
UK researchers launch a new study to explore how digital nature experiences can be good for us
People taking GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound
may be losing weight, but they’re also becoming less physically active, according to new
research presented at the ENDO 2026 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Global retreat trade show, Synergy The Retreat Show, has launched a resource called The
Source, which hosts an open-access online Transformation Series programme.
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
bbspa_Group The technical advice offered by bbspa is
delivered via four specialist departments which offer turn [more...]
